Going Battle Royale

Both PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite have experienced massive success. As a result, battle royale games are quickly evolving, moving past the genre's humble beginnings as mods for large-scale survival games, like Minecraft and ARMA 2, and into fresh new territory. More and more new games in the genre are getting released every week; this year alone is packed with a slew of new battle royale games that aim to push the genre further by expanding its foundational elements and mechanics.

To ensure you're kept up to date on all the latest battle royale games, we've compiled the biggest battle royale games releasing in 2018. Below you can find a full list releasing this year. In addition, you find out more details on each game in the feature ahead by clicking through to their game pages.

While there's plenty of battle royale games out there, we've decidedly narrowed it down in our list above to the ones most worth looking into this year. Many of the latest battle royale games are expanding upon it by throwing new mechanics into the mix. Some games add in spectator elements and dynamic environmental effects, while others are taking the experience to VR. It's exciting to see how some developers are pushing the genre to entirely new directions.

There are also battle royale games this year are opting for a more traditional approach. Games like Ring of Elyisium and Mavericks: Proving Grounds are sticking to the last person standing approach but across different scales and with additional mechanics, like dynamic environmental effects and higher player counts. These games offer veteran players fascinating situations to test their skills.

Even the biggest gaming franchises are incorporating battle royale into its repertoire. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Battlefield 5 have battle royale-like modes. We can only imagine what other popular franchises plan to introduce the mode in 2019.

Regardless of what you prefer, it's safe to say that there is likely a new battle royale game for you. But which one are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments below. And be sure to check back often as we update this feature with even more new battle royale games as they get announced.

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Red Dead Redemption 2 via Red Dead Online | PS4, Xbox One

Red Dead Redemption 2's online mode has a battle royale mode in its competitive multiplayer called Make It Count. There are two versions of Make it Count, both outlined on Rockstar's blog. The first is a battle royale where players are armed with only a bow and a handful of arrows, and each person needs to loot extra arrows from the enemies they kill. The second is the same concept, but players must rely on throwing knives instead. Like Fortnite and Black Ops 4's Blackout, in both versions of Make it Count, the safe area on the battlefield shrinks over time and forces the survivors closer together.

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Battlefield 5 | PS4, Xbox One, PC

Battlefield V developer DICE confirmed that a battle royale mode will be available in the game. Titled Firestorm, the mode supports up to 64 players all paried into 16 teams of four battling across a large and destructible map. Of course, the series' iconic vehicular combat will play a big part in the struggle to survive.

DICE creative director Lars Gustavsson stated that games like Fortnite and PUBG are popular among the developer's employees. The idea to add a battle royale mode to Battlefield V came from conversations DICE developers were having about the game inside the studio as opposed to being a directive that EA handed down to the studio, he suggested.

Release Date: March 2019

Fear the Wolves | PC, PS4, Xbox One

Fear the Wolves is a battle royale game set in an apocalyptic Chernobyl-like wasteland. It brings an interesting twist to the formula by introducing unpredictable weather cycles. In addition, there are radioactive zones that players can only explore with the proper gear.

Release Date: Available Now via Steam Early Access (Console version expected to launch in 2019)

Rapture Rejects | PC

Rapture Rejects is an upcoming battle royale game set in the popular Cyanide & Happiness cartoon universe. Unlike its contemporaries, the gamesets players in a hellish otherworld where God has abandoned humanity, and the only option left is to kill until only one person is left standing.

Release Date: Available Now via Steam Early Access

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 | PS4, Xbox One, PC

The upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is going to feature a battle royale mode. Dubbed Blackout, the new mode pits players against each other in a fight to be the last one standing. Where it differs from other battle royale games, however, is that it draws heavily on previous Black Ops titles. Developer Treyarch says it wanted to create a battle royale mode "the Black Ops way," and to that end, it has incorporated elements from the entire series into the mode.

Release Date: Available Now

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Battlerite Royale | PC

Battlerite Royale is an upcoming mode for the team-based arena brawler where 20 players fight on a map 30 times larger than the game's standard arena mode map. You can play solo or as a pair, with 27 distinct heroes to choose from. The rules are standard fair as a battle royale game: drop in, gather supplies, kill people, and come out as the last person alive.

Release Date: Available Now via Steam Early Access

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Maelstorm | PC

Maelstorm offers an interesting spin on the battle royale genre. Rather than take on the format of a first-person or third-person shooter, the game focuses on naval combat in a fantasy setting. You're pitted against 15 other players in a a battle to be the last "ship" standing. While you fight off other players and NPC ships, there are also sea monsters to worry about that'll attempt to sink you. And if the game's premise isn't enough to pull you in, it also offers progression and loot systems to keep you invested in and outside of battle.

Release Date: Available Now via Steam Early Access

Egress

Egress is an RPG battle royale game with a Soulsborne-like combat system. It's set in an alternate universe that combines visuals elements from Victorian-era architecture, Lovecraftian mythology, and Retrowave.

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H1Z1 | PC (PS4 and Xbox One Versions Coming Soon)

Formerly known as H1Z1: King of the Kill, H1Z1 is the battle royale version of the zombie-survival sandbox game, Just Survive. It pits 150 players against each other in a last-man-standing deathmatch; players can choose to play solo, with a partner, or in groups of five. In addition to the game's standard battle royale mode, H1Z1 features a mode called Auto Royale, where four players drive a car into battle, collecting power-ups in order to emerge the last team driving.

Platforms: PC | Release Date: Available Now

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Proxima Royale

Proxima Royale is a sci-fi-themed battle royale where up to 60 players duke it out in a last "robot" standing conflict on an alien planet. The game is in early access, having had a few closed alphas over the past month or so.

Release Date: TBA

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SOS | PC

SOS offers something unique: it requires a microphone, and your social skills and sense of showmanship will be put to the test. Each player has to present themselves in an interesting way to stand out and earn the favor of a live audience. Each game is broadcast live online via the social gaming platform Hero, with spectators voting on possible in-game events like supply drops or bombing runs. The main goal is to find one of four relics spread across the map, and then signal for extraction and make it onto a helicopter. This sounds simple on paper, but 15 other players are also striving to accomplish the same goal, and with only a few seats on the helicopter, you're going to need to be clever and ruthless if you want to survive.

Release Date: Available Now via Steam Early Access

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Realm Royale | PC, PS4, Xbox One

Realm Royale is a 100-player battle royale spin-off of Paladins: Champions of the Realm. It takes on qualities similar to other battle royale games, but attempts to redefine them by introducing mechanics from hero shooters, with myriad playable characters, each with their own unique skills and abilities. In addition, it emphasizes cooperative play, as it's designed to be played primarily in four-person squads.

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The Darwin Project | PC, Xbox One

The Darwin Project is a third-person competitive multiplayer battle royale game with more of an emphasis on survival than its competitors. In order to win, you must endure extreme weather conditions, while tracking opponents and setting up traps in order to be the last one left alive. It's most noteworthy quality is that it incorporates reality TV show elements into its gameplay, like spectator interaction and a show director who controls varying aspects of the arena.

Release Date: Available Now via Steam Early Access and Xbox One Game Preview program

Mavericks: Proving Grounds | PC

Mavericks: Proving Grounds is an first-person battle royale game where up to 400 players do battle in a highly dynamic environment. For example, you can set fire to a map, tactically spreading it to others parts of the map to either damage other players or cut them off. In addition, the game promises more intelligent mission systems, social hubs, and a player-driven narrative that informs your experiences playing the game.

Release Date: Available Now via early access after signing up to become a Founder

Islands of Nyne | PC

Islands of Nyne is a sci-fi-themed first-person battle royale game that's more skill-driven than its competitors. Based on how well you play, you'll earn special armor sets and weapon skins for your character. There's also a player betting system, which allows you to use in-game credits to place bets on individual players or teams during a match to win more equipment or skins.

Release Date: Available Now via Steam Early Access

Dying Light: Bad Blood | PC, PS4, Xbox One

Dying Light: Bad Blood is a standalone battle royale-esque expansion of the critically acclaimed Dying Light. It seems an almost unexpected release, but apparently it was made by developer Techland due to numerous fan requests. In Bad Blood, six players are dropped into random locations around the map in a race to acquire enough samples from several powerful infected zombies. As you take down these special zombies, you'll collect samples and potentially level up your character--boosting their health, agility, and attack power. The first one to acquire all the samples and escape in the evac chopper wins.

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Survival Games: Battle Royale | PC

Survival Games: Battle Royale retains the genre's tried and true premise, but provides some twists of its own. Maps are procedurally generated and you must keep track of your stats and hunger as you fight to be the last one standing. In addition, the game sports a map editor that allows you design your own custom battle royale arenas.

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Stand Out: VR Battle Royale | PC (Oculus Rift, HTC Vive)

Playing a battle royale game in VR sounds like a huge challenge, but developer raptor lab is looking to make it happen with Standout: Battle Royale VR. In order to survive a match, you'll literally have to crouch down to avoid enemy and lean in and out of cover to get a clear line of sight on opponents; you can even reach out and snatch a magazine from a player's hands.

Release Date: Available Now via Steam Early Access

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Fractured Lands | PC

Fractured Lands sets the 100-player battle royale formula in a Mad Max-inspired post-apocalyptic wasteland. The game features classic genre mechanics, like resource management and tactical first-person shooting. However, it also sports an emphasis on car combat and vehicle customization.